Over 60 years ago, Bill Wilson, the man behind the largest sobriety program in history, tried LSD and began publicly touting the psychedelic drug as a way toward recovery from alcoholism. Today, a growing number of studies suggest the Alcoholic Anonymous co-founder’s revelation might be right.
The therapeutic potential of the highly stigmatized hallucinogenic drugs has sparked widespread interest in its use, and not just for substance-abuse disorders. Studies are finding psychedelic therapy could reverse debilitating effects of depression, anxiety, eating disorders and PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder).
But how does it work? How does therapy involving mind-bending “trips,” or hours of hallucinating, literally change a person’s brain?
Most of what researchers “know” is still theory, based largely on basic science like hers, said Jamie Peters, PhD, a neuroscientist with a primary appointment in the University of Colorado School of Medicine’s anesthesiology department and a secondary appointment in pharmacology at the CU Anschutz Medical Campus.
But Peters hopes that a resurgence in attention will lead to regulatory acceptance of research and that more solid answers are imminent. “This is a really exciting time to be working in this area,” Peters said. “I think of it as a renaissance of interest in this class of drugs that have been under-researched for decades.”
How the re-molding unfolds
Psychedelics cross the blood brain barrier either directly, like LSD, or indirectly, like psilocin, a converted active metabolite of psylocibin – the psychedelic component of “magic mushrooms.” Once inside the brain, the drugs target serotonin receptors (specifically 2A and 2C), enhancing sensory input and creating the hallucinations and strong sense of connection many users report.
“In some cases, you may cross senses,” Peters said of patients experiencing a phenomenon called synesthesia. “You may see sounds or hear colors.”
Hallucinogens are psychoplastogens, fast-acting compounds that support structural and functional neural plasticity, meaning brain cells and pathways can be reshaped and, in some cases, restored after insult or injury. “The root of the term literally means mind-molding,” Peters said.
Like a tree given a miracle food that spurs rapid branch growth, neurons (brain cells) supplied with a psychedelic boost sprout dendrites. The resulting branch-like network allows for novel connections (synapses) with other neurons. “This new formation of synapses between neurons happens at least in-vitro, and there is some evidence this happens in-vivo as well,” Peters said.
Finding ground zero
Called synaptogenesis, the increased numbers of synaptic contacts serve as points of communication between neurons. Research suggests the process rebuilds critical pathways lost to mental health disorders. It’s thought that when this re-molding takes place in the brain’s cerebral cortex, therapeutic benefits occur, Peters said.
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